After being asked about the issue by Sheriff NEIL WILLIAMSON, the Sangamon County Deputy Merit Commission in July decided that Undersheriff JACK CAMPBELL could keep his job and run for sheriff.

“The County supplied a legal opinion to the Commission,” according to the minutes of the July 5 meeting. “The Commission accepted the opinion and responded to Sheriff Williamson.”

Both members of the commission at the meeting — chairman ROBERT WEICHERT and vice chairman DAVE MacDONNA — told me that the decision was that Campbell could run.

MacDonna said the lawyer who provided that opinion was JUSTIN REICHERT, who is a law partner of BRUCE STRATTON. Stratton and Reichert work on contract doing labor law for Sangamon County.

Stratton told me Wednesday that Campbell separately had asked him if it was legal for Campbell to keep his job and run. Stratton said it appeared to him that Campbell wasn’t prevented from running by the merit commission, because as undersheriff, his rank wasn’t covered by those rules. The rules apply to lieutenants, sergeants and deputies.

Stratton also said that on its face, a state law seems to negate the merit commission rule that keeps any member of the department from running for sheriff.

The Local Government Employees Political Rights Act states in part that “No unit of local government or school district may make or enforce any rule or ordinance that in any way inhibits or prohibits any of its employees from exercising the employee’s political rights.”

Stratton said he didn’t check for any court decisions about the law, but his cursory look makes it seem that Campbell’s opponent in Tuesday’s Republican primary, WES BARR, who retired last year as a lieutenant, didn’t have to leave the department to run for the top job.

On Tuesday’s JIM LEACH show on WMAY-AM, where Campbell and Barr faced off, Barr said it appeared that Campbell was violating commission rules by running. Barr noted that Campbell recently said that if he lost his appointed post, he still had protection under the merit code and could return to being a lieutenant. Barr said it didn’t seem Campbell could be exempt from the code and protected by it at the same time.

Barr told me he brought up the merit commission issue now because he just recently heard Campbell discuss his protection under the code.

Campbell said he does have the “luxury” of being protected by the union and could return to lieutenant if removed from his post, but his current job is “assigned outside the merit system” and is an “at-will” post from which he can be bumped by his boss.

Page 2 of 3 - Campbell also said he had the situation reviewed by two private attorneys — one of them a relative of his. He didn’t give names of those lawyers. His news release on the matter also said the local Fraternal Order of Police confirmed the legality of his candidacy.

Barr on Wednesday issued a statement including the opinion of DON CRAVEN, a lawyer who did research on the issue for Barr. Craven said the position of undersheriff is not covered by the merit commission rules, so Campbell could run. But Craven also said that he doesn’t think Campbell has the protection of returning to lieutenant if he loses the undersheriff job.

Barr said if elected, he will seek a clarification of merit commission rules to avoid such a controversy in the future.

Barr has repeatedly alleged that Williamson’s naming of Campbell as undersheriff was a political move to allow Campbell to run. Campbell and Williamson, who is retiring as sheriff, have said that’s not the case.

Thankfully, the primary is Tuesday. Democrat JEFF REGAN is seeking the nomination of his party through primary write-ins.

13th being watched

I found out this week that I used the wrong word in a column months ago about Democratic congressional candidate ANN CALLIS.

On May 12, I wrote that Callis said she lived three or four miles outside the 13th Congressional District but “was in the process of buying a house in Edwardsville.”

This week, a group called America Rising PAC, which is a Republican group that does opposition research in targeted races, let me know that the home where Callis now lives in Edwardsville is rented.

Turns out that’s right. But when I reviewed the recorded conversation I had with Callis back in May, I found that she said “I’m getting a house” in Edwardsville. She didn’t use the word “buy,” and also said later in the conversation that her word is good and she wouldn’t claim to be “renting a house in Edwardsville” while living in Troy.

She had talked about renting all along.

Meanwhile, America Rising also found that Callis donated $250 to U.S. Sen. DICK DURBIN’s campaign fund on Dec. 10, and she is listed there as living in Troy.

“Ann lives in Edwardsville and used an old checkbook with her past address to donate to Sen. Durbin,” said MARSHALL COHEN, her campaign manager. He said she still owns the house in rural Troy, but lives in the Edwardsville home

If it’s not obvious, lots of people watch congressional races very closely. Sorry to add to any confusion.

Page 3 of 3 - Candidates for U.S. House, by the way, have to live in the state, but there is no legal requirement that they live in their district.

Callis is opposed in the Democratic primary by GEORGE GOLLIN and DAVID GREEN, both of Champaign. The incumbent, U.S. Rep. RODNEY DAVIS, R-Taylorville, is challenged by ERIKA HAROLD of Urbana and MIKE FIRSCHING of Moro in the GOP primary.

Remembering Cadagin

Condolences to friends and family of former Circuit Judge DON CADAGIN, who died March 7 following a stroke in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where he was vacationing. He was 73.

Former Circuit Judge LEO ZAPPA was gaining experience as an assistant state’s attorney in the 1980s when Cadagin was first assistant in the office, and invited Zappa to help prosecute a murder.

“He was really good about helping the younger lawyers get experience,” Zappa said.

Zappa became first assistant when Cadagin was state’s attorney, and both became judges.

Zappa said Cadagin was an avid fan of Sacred Heart-Griffin sports, and was also a “great boss” as state’s attorney. As a prosecutor and judge, Zappa added, Cadagin recognized when “someone deserved a break,” but could also “dish it out” when punishment was appropriate.

Cadagin was also instrumental, Zappa said, in establishing the child advocacy program that allows child victims of sexual abuse in the county get interviewed in “more of a protected home setting” instead of “by a bunch of strange police officers.” That, said Zappa, has helped make cases against sexual predators stronger.